Rare jellyfish biting Southern California ocean swimmers

An unusual jellyfish seems to have made its stinging debut in the Southern California seas. The Orange County Register says some people suffered stings all over their bodies last week at Thousand Steps Beach in south Laguna Beach.

Some Fourth of July swimmers came ashore with dark membranes clinging to their bodies, as the jellyfish broke up in the surf. From the color, experts determined the jellyfish may be rare black jellies. Nigela Hillgarth of Birch Aquarium says the species was first identified in 1999, and it has only recently appeared in Southern California.

Black-jelly tentacles can grow to 30 feet long. Hillgarth says warmer ocean temperatures may have brought the jellyfish closer to shore in search of prey, where they were caught by the current and thrown ashore.